Faith Is An Act! : By James Lantz
Real faith is accompanied with action! Faith does not work without corresponding action. No one receives eternal life until they believe with their heart that God has raised Jesus from the dead and confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord. Immediately upon receiving Jesus we are to be baptized in water which is another act of faith. The scripture tells us that faith without works or action is dead! James 2:26 CEV Anyone who doesn’t breathe is dead, and faith that doesn’t do anything is just as dead! The closest thing on earth to our covenant relationship with Christ is the christian marriage in which we covenant to keep ourselves only for each other as long as we both shall live. It would be hard to imagine being married without continually giving ourselves to each other in love and so also is our marriage to the anointed One and His anointing. 2 Cor. 5:15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. The way we enter into the kingdom of God is by dying to self and receiving the life of Christ! Now it is no longer I that liveth but Christ that liveth in me. Your flesh, and mine, along with the devil will endeavor to get us to act just like we did before we entered into the kingdom of God’s dear Son. The Spirit of God, however, fully expects us to act on His word which is the power of God to him who believes. Rom. 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. God’s word benefits us greatly for doctrine, reproof, correction, instruction in righteousness,
The Gospel Is The Power Of God Unto Salvation!
and empowerment! When God speaks to us, faith comes, and we are enabled to do what He said. Peter was empowered to walk on the water after he heard Jesus issue the command to come. Miracles are granted as God wills but notice that Peter asked Jesus to tell him to come. Hebrews 2:4 God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will? 1 Cor. 12:11 NKJV But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. Understand that God wills to do so much more than we have asked and believed Him for! God has already spoken certain things in His word that He wants each person to receive from Him. God empowers everyone who opens their ears to receive salvation through His Son! Rom. 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. “ The greek word sozo translated saved means to save, deliver, protect, heal, preserve, do well, and make whole.” We don’t have to wonder if it is God’s will for someone to be born from above because He already said that He would save everyone who calls upon His name. We don’t have to wait for God to send Christ down from above nor raise Him from the dead because God already accomplished that through Christ being born of a virgin and His suffering and resurrection. There is more, you do not have to wait to be filled with the mighty Holy Spirit of God because the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost and never left. Whoever receives Jesus is a candidate to be filled with the Holy Spirit. You just need to desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit and ask your Father in heaven. Luke 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? Deliverance, protection, healing, prosperity, and wholeness are already provided along with the gift of the Holy Spirit for all who are in Christ!
God acted in love and faith so He could receive many children who were made in His likeness! He created the earth for His man and gave him dominion to rule the earth. When Adam betrayed his father God and yielded his dominion over to God’s enemy the devil God went into action again. God decreed that there would arise One born of a woman, who would crush the serpents head. Gen. 3:15 GNT . . . Her offspring will crush your head, and you will bite her offspring’s heel. God worked His plan and brought the redeemer into this world through the virgin Mary. Jesus worked His Father’s plan and purchased redemption for all who would believe and take the gift of salvation!
God’s people have always acted on what they believe. Able believed that God was the Almighty God and the giver of life and therefore he offered Him his best sheep! Enoch walked and talked with God by faith even though he could not see Him with his physical eyes. Noah preached righteousness and the coming judgement to a rebellious people as he built the ark of safety. Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. Abram left his homeland by faith, not knowing where he was going! God blessed Abraham and Sarah with
Faith Moves Us To Do What God Says!
the promised son. One day, God tested His friend Abraham, asking him to sacrifice his only son, Isaac on an alter. Abraham acted immediately, believing God would raise Isaac from the dead, since it was through Isaac that his descendants would be like the sand of the sea! James 2:20 &21 WNT But, idle boaster, are you willing to be taught how it is that faith apart from obedience is worthless? Take the case of Abraham our forefather. Was it, or was it not, because of his actions that he was declared to be righteous as the result of his having offered up his son Isaac upon the altar?
John the baptist told those who were repenting of their sins to prove by the way they lived that they had repented and turned to God. He who has two shirts must give one to the man that has none and whoever has food must share it. Tax collectors, only collect the legal amount. Soldiers, don’t take money from anyone by force or accuse anyone falsely and be content with your pay. Some will say that John the baptist was baptizing under the law and not under grace but the Spirit of grace says to the church that you must add actions to your faith or your faith is dead. Dead faith will not save you! The Spirit of grace through Paul reveals that those who say they have faith but do not do what love does are fakes and not genuine. 1 Timothy 1:5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: Don’t just listen to God’s word, you must do what it says, otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.
Jesus warns those who have left their first love that they must repent and get back to doing those things they used to do for Him! Revelation 2:5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. Jesus is not referring to us working our fingers to the bone trying to get Him to accept us for our hard work but rather respond to His love for us in faith and obedience. Jesus is not a cruel taskmaster like Pharaoh, who demanded that the children of Israel work day and night to meet his quota. Jesus is just like His Father who sets the captives free and brings them into their wealthy place! Don’t be like that first generation of Israelites that God delivered out of Egypt who refused to get their minds off of Egypt and on the promised land. God told them He had picked out a large good land for them that flowed with milk and honey! Egypt is a type of this world and as long as our minds are fixed on the things of this world we aren’t moving towards our wealthy place that God has chosen for us. Col. 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. Our feet can only go where our thoughts have gone there first! Continually talk God’s good word, meditating and doing everything He said, and you will make your way prosperous and have good success!
Psalms 89:14 Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face.
Does The Bible Say That Christians Should Vote?
I don’t know of any scripture that says, thou shalt vote, but that doesn’t mean that the Bible doesn’t teach good stewardship in our natural responsibilities. Jesus stated that a person who is faithful in that which is least will also be faithful in much. The little that Jesus was referring to was our finances. The leaders that we choose greatly effect our financial lives because they make choices about how much we are taxed and how our taxes are spent and some of them have the attitude that we work for them instead of being a representative of we the people. They either make laws that honor God, which brings a blessing on our nation, or make laws that dishonor God, which brings a curse on our nation. The fact that Jesus said we are to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness first means that there are additional things that are second and third and so on. A faithful man will be diligent with the lesser things as well!
We are commanded to pray for our leaders and for all men everywhere which yields us the benefit of living a quiet and peaceful life! It is much more difficult to preach the gospel and reach men for Christ during times of war, a pandemic, or upheaval so it sure makes sense for us to use our earthly citizenship to vote for leaders who will honor life and uphold the law. God wants us to prosper and be in health so that we can establish His covenant in the earth. Jesus said we are to pray that it gets to be on earth like it is in heaven, and of course Jesus is going to come back and fix everything, but in the meantime we are to occupy this earth in righteousness. The body of Christ is the preserving force in the earth and we are to exorcise the authority that has been given in Christ! We are to use our authority in Christ to bind the evil one and loose the ministering spirits to do us good so we can fulfill the great commission!
When the righteous are in authority the people rejoice! We live in a nation in which our constitution was written by men who feared God and looked to His word for direction and rules. We are beneficiaries of the foresight of our founding fathers and their understanding of God’s ways. The word of God will never change because it is the truth and never needs an update. We are created in Christ to do good works and surely voting for the candidate who holds more closely to that which is right in God’s sight is a good work. Jesus told the lawyer who asked what he needed to do to inherit eternal life to love God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love his neighbor as himself. The lawyer wanted to justify himself so he asks, who is my neighbor. In the parable of the good samaritan your neighbor is someone that you come into contact with who has a need. The preacher and the church worker wouldn’t go out of their way to help a dying man who desperately needed their help. It is pretty easy to see that our nation needs leaders who will nominate pro life judges who will honor the constitution, leaders who will make decisions that are right and good for future generations. We should not turn our heads and close our eyes to the privilege and responsibility that God has given us to vote for leaders that will make decisions that bless our children and our neighbors!
Luke 16:10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
Mt. 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
1 Tim. 2:1 I exhort therefore, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings, be made for all men;
1 Tim. 2:2 for kings and all that are in high place; that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and gravity (quiet and peaceful life)
3 John 2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
Deut. 8:18 But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.
Mt. 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Luke 19:13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.
Mt. 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden underfoot of men.
Mt. 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Mt. 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Pro. 29:2 When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.
Eph. 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Luke 10:36&37 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
Isaiah 1:26 And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city.
501 Lenover Road, Parkesburg, PA 19365
